Margaret Hodge hops off HMRC tax roller coaster after bump with motorbike
Labour MP Margaret Hodge failed to appear at the launch of a book by BDO partner Daniel Dover last night, pulling out as guest speaker at the last minute.
Hosts BDO were given little explanation as to why the chair of the Public Accounts Committee wouldn’t be turning up to talk tax, undeniably her favourite topic (having grilled Starbucks, Google, et al. about their tax arrangements back in 2012). It left disappointed parties, The Capitalist included, wondering why the Hodge had dodged.
Labour’s press office had very little to say, but we suspect her absence had something to do with her Toyota Prius and a motorbike.
The 70-year-old MP collided with a motorcyclist on Grays Inn Road earlier that morning, her second collision in 16 months.
Luckily, the motorcyclist sustained only minor injuries, the only real casualty being the launch of BDO’s book: HMRC Her Majesty’s Roller Coaster – hints on how to survive a tax investigation.
What a wild ride, eh?